Vulpine Chaos
by KayouKitsune
Summary: After killing Sasuke at the Valley of The End, Naruto is imprisoned and tortured for several months, until Itachi rescues him. His rescue goes awry when his eyes are burnt out by seals as he leaves. What will happen now? Naru/Hina with Fem. Naru/Hina
1. Return of the Kitsune

Leaves fall to the ground, dislodged from the limb they had called home up until now by two figures that had landed on the limb, almost completely silent. After a few moments, one of the figures gave a hand sign, and both launched off of the tree as silently as they had landed. Several minutes went by, the figures weaving among the trees as if they were ghosts and not corporeal. The figures came up to a wall, and went over it, silent and unseen.

Konoha had been invaded once more.

The two figures maneuvered through the streets and rooftops, slipping past civilians and ninja alike with careful precision. In some instances, they ended up having to use illusions to slip past the ninjas that were responsible for patrolling the city. Each time, the illusion was cast silently, and was crafted only to hide their presence. They stopped on a rooftop, the leader giving a series of hand signs before slipping off. The second figure jumped down to one of the balconies that populated the Jounin apartment complex. The figure worked quickly on bypassing the seals and wards on the apartment, not wanting to take them down or set them off. Minutes ticked by until the person opened the door leading into the apartment. Without hesitation, they went through the apartment, grabbing books, scrolls, and pieces of paper, making sure each one met the criteria for what they were looking for. Once the entire apartment had been searched, the figure took out a storage scroll, and quickly sealed everything in it. After that was done, the figure left, resetting the wards and seals so that by the time the owner realized what was missing, the trail would be too cold for them to follow.

Across Konoha, the first figure was watching their target as he walked through the market. Finally, an opportunity presented itself, as he tucked a book into the pouch on his belt. The figure rolled several rocks out onto the ground and under his feet, causing the ninja to stumble, for just a moment. That moment was all that was needed however, as the figure darted behind the ninja, removing the book and disappearing without the ninja even feeling their presence. The leader went to their meeting spot, the top of the Hokage's tower, and nodded as they saw the second one already there.

No words were exchanged before both of them jumped down, and into the Hokage's office. Seeing that it was unoccupied, they both took up positions in the shadows, waiting for the Hokage to come back to her office. They didn't have to wait long, as Tsunade stormed in right after they got into position, cursing loudly as she always does when she has to deal with the council. They waited until she was distracted by looking for one of her sake stashes, and stepped out of hiding, standing side by side in front of her desk. The leader spoke, their voice muffled from behind the mask they wore so that it was indistinguishable.

"Lady Tsunade, Hokage of Konohagakure?"

She looked up, and upon seeing the two unfamiliar figures in front of her launched herself over the desk with a yell, swinging at the one that spoke. The figure reacted smoothly, striking her arm in three places before spinning around behind her, drawing a kunai and placing the tip against the back of her neck. Tsunade froze at the feel of the blade, realizing the figure had a major advantage at the moment. The figure drew their mask off, leaning forward to speak in her ear, his voice recognizable instantly.

"Baa-chan, is that any way to welcome me home?"

It took several moments for the words to sink in, but once they did, Tsunade turned around, grabbing the man in a crushing hug.

"Naruto! What on earth were you thinking, doing something like that? You could have seriously gotten hurt, sneaking around in here!"

Naruto squirmed free of the hug, giving her his trademark grin. He didn't say anything about her comment regarding him getting hurt, not wanting to tip his hand right away. He looked over to the other figure, and nodded his head. The second figure drew off their mask, which was a perfect match for his, and shook her hair loose. Tsunade blinked in shock as the other unknown was revealed to be Hinata. She looked at them both for a moment before going back to her desk, sitting down with a sigh. Things were obviously different, the masks were one clue, their outfits another.

"Okay gaki; spill it, everything from the time you left."

Naruto nodded, having expected this. Without preamble, he started talking.

"While everyone was recovering from the mission to retrieve Sasuke, I was put in the ANBU prison, charged with killing a loyal Konoha shinobi, Uchiha Sasuke. Apparently, assaulting another shinobi and running from the village are extreme acts of loyalty to the village…."

**Flashback**

The sound of a fist hitting flesh repeated itself, the strikes coming in an endless barrage. Minutes passed that seemed like hours, time twisted upon itself as it was warped on a loom of pain. The young man strapped to the chair panted; his breaths labored and weak. He knew why he was here; the body he had brought back was testament to his betrayal of the village. At least, that was the reason given to him. That reason was utter garbage. He was in no position to argue.

All that was asked of him was a confession, an agreement to what the Elders said. That confession would guarantee an end to the torment and his life. But, the man was a shinobi, a fighter, and would not back down from the truth, no matter how much pain he was put through. As the torture continued, he began to shut himself away, building a barrier around whom he was.

Months passed with everyone being told he was on a SS-ranked mission that not even the Hokage could know the details of. The truth of his location was only known to seven people. The five that ordered his imprisonment; and the two ROOT that tortured him and took care of him. Physical torture, mental, poisons, all of it was used to little effect. All that was left of Naruto was a mindless husk that didn't respond to even the most brutal of treatments. Even still, the routine was kept. Every day: torture for twenty hours of the day, food if he was lucky, and a slight bit of sleep, if he was lucky.

One day began like all of the others, with Naruto being awoken in a random and painful manner, and then thrown into the torture room. After being thrown in, the door slammed behind him. This was a change in the routine that had been kept up. Through the door muffled voices could be heard, followed by two thumps. Naruto watched the door, waiting to see what kind of torture this would end up being. It wasn't like he cared, but it was something different. The door opened slowly, pushed by a single pale hand. The figure attached to the hand stepped through. Naruto couldn't identify the person, since they were wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it, and a rice farmer's hat.

The young teen continued to lay where he had been thrown, simple staring at the individual with an unblinking gaze. There were no emotions in the cerulean orbs, just a calm acceptance of whatever was to come. The robed individual looked down upon the boy for a moment before shaking his head a little. What had the village come to, when they would do this to one of their own? He reached down, laying one hand on the boy before making a half seal with his other hand. They both vanished, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

Across the village, the same individual appeared behind a girl of a similar age to the boy. She wore a heavy coat, and had pale eyes with no pupil. Before she could react, he struck her in the back of the neck. Before the girl could fall to the ground, he grabbed her, again making the same half seal and vanishing along with her. At the same time, a raven flew in through the open window of the Hokage's office, dropping a note before vanishing in a ripple of distorted air.

"I have taken The Hyuuga heiress and young Uzumaki. He was being held here in the city, and tortured every day since he came back from killing my brother. I will be dead soon, but I will do my best to train them both."

Itachi landed in a small cabin several days journey away from Konoha, his clone appearing beside himself with the boy in its arms. He turned to examine Naruto, just in time to see seals appear all over his eyes. He cursed, reaching out to try and disrupt them, but it was too late. Accompanied by an inhuman scream, Naruto's eyes were consumed by the perimeter seals completely, leaving nothing behind. The boy flailed around for a moment before blacking out.

Itachi looked at the unconscious boy, his mind working faster than it ever had. He knew he only had a few months to live at most, and this boy was now blind because of him. Finally, he stood up, walking out of the cabin and into the woods. There was someone he needed to talk to. His idea would only work if she would help him, and the boy, out. He wandered through the forest, taking an obscure path that even his eyes had a hard time following. As he walked, his right hand slips into a coat pocket, wrapping around a glass vial.

The forest shimmered around Itachi, trees and bushes swirling for a second before vanishing, revealing a clearing with a small but well-kept shack in it. He stops a few feet from the door, and bows low, showing more respect to whomever is inside than to anyone in the history of his life. He remains like that for a few moments before straightening. He stood there, watching the door until a tiny woman that barely came up to his waist steps outside. He bows again to her, causing the woman to chuckle softly.

"My my, little Itachi. So respectful, as always. What brings you to me today? I thought you said you didn't want me to cure your illness."

He shakes his head a little. She was always so insistent about healing him. Before, he only had to worry about living long enough to pass his legacy onto Sasuke. Now he had another reason to live, he owed Naruto for what he did. He held up the jar that was in his pocket.

"I rescued someone, but in doing so, I caused his eyes to be ruined. I need you to give him mine, and put these in me. This time, I wish for you to cure this disease. I must make it up to the boy, set right what I did wrong. My life is no longer my own."

The woman looks up at him, scrutinizing Itachi for several moments before nodding a little. Finally she goes back into her house. She comes out after only a couple of seconds, this time with a bag slung over her shoulder. Without another word, she begins to walk away from her home, taking the path that Itachi had just come from. He turns to follow her, once again surprised at the speed she moves with. The pair walked through the forest silent, one smiling at finally getting their way, the second hopeful for a chance at a new life.

They arrived back at Itachi's home to find both of the young ninja still unconscious. The woman gestures for Itachi to put Naruto on the table, and then for him to lie down beside the younger shinobi. Itachi does so, moving with quiet grace. He lies there, patiently, as the woman begins to prepare medicines. She grinds several herbs in a mortar, working it until she has a fine dust. She moves to the table, waiting until each of the boys is breathing in before allowing a measure of the dust into their noses. As it begins to take effect, she turns to Itachi first, to work on his disease before doing the transplants.


	2. A new viewpoint on life

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way shape manner or form.

Itachi awoke to several sensations. The first was being able to breathe properly, and he reveled in it. He took several deep breaths before focusing on the sensations coming from his eyes. He kept them closed as he assessed the situation. There was an odd tingle in the front of them as if they were trying to go to a new stage on their own. He thought carefully, finally remembering where he had heard of this. He would feel that pressure until the first time he used his Mangekyou level, and they adjusted to the Eternal formation. After several more minutes, he sits up, opening his eyes to look around silently. He scanned the room, noticing at first how much sharper his vision was. Everything was in perfect detail, no matter where it was in his line of sight, or how far away. With a voice barely above a whisper, he activates the second stage of his Sharingan.

"Mangekyou Sharingan."

He felt his eyes shift, though this time there was no noticeable drop in his chakra, unlike every other time he activated the second level of his eyes. This was noted in the back of his mind as he looked around again. The dust moving about on the air was barely moving, as if it were in slow motion. He watched it for a while, turning his head to observe different areas around him. Finally, he deactivated his dojutsu before standing up. He walked off quietly, looking for the healer and his two charges.

He doesn't have to go far, finding the healer and Hinata in the next room, both kneeling beside Naruto. He steps over, looking down at the gaunt young man, his face expressionless as always. Naruto's eyes are closed, and there is a cloth over his forehead that is damp. He watches the rise and fall of the unconscious teen's chest, noting that his breathing is deep and even. He continues to observe what is going on, before finally speaking.

"Is something the matter with him?"

Both women jump at the suddenness of his voice. Hinata looks up at him, her eyes going wide as she tries to stammer a response. Unfortunately, coming face to face with an S-ranked missing-nin has frightened the poor girl enough that she can't even complete one word. The healer smiles a little before standing up. She moves over to Itachi, and suddenly whacks him in the head with her walking stick.

"You should have told me that the boy contained the kitsune spirit within himself. Did you not think at all what would happen to him when your eyes were given to him, and his body contains the yokai of the most powerful of the nine? He has come very close to death these past few hours. I would be surprised if there was no damage to him because of this. As it is, he should wake at any time now."

Itachi doesn't react to the strike; he just stands there stoically, taking in everything that was said. He knew of the boy's 'passenger' but had given it very little thought. He looks at the stammering girl, raising a single eyebrow at her response to him. It wasn't uncommon for people to react to him with fear, but she was taking it to a whole new level that made him uncomfortable.

"I am not here to harm you Miss Hyuuga. I have brought you here to help me with Naruto, and to keep you from the abuses I saw your father perpetrating upon you. Unfortunately, when I rescued him from the prison cell they were keeping him in, his eyes were destroyed. I gave him mine, taking my brother's for myself. When he recovers, I will train you both to my level. Once you are ready, you may go where you wish. Return to Konoha, join another village, become wanderers, it is a choice you and Naruto will have to make. But that choice will not be for years yet, if what I have seen of your skill level indicates."

As Itachi finishes speaking, Naruto begins to wake up with a groan. The teen reaches up to rub at his eyes, wincing softly before sitting up. He props himself up with one arm as he opens his eyes and looks around. He must have been dreaming when he thought he heard Hinata and Uchiha Itachi talking. Why would she be anywhere near the missing-nin, and why would he? He pauses as his eyes focus. Everything was so…..different. Colors seemed to be a thousand times more vibrant, minor details that he had never noticed before were glaringly obvious. His eyes roam the room, causing him to spot Hinata, an old lady, and Itachi. He nods to himself at seeing each one, pausing for a moment after the last. Finally, he jumps up with a yell, pointing at the other male.

"What are you doing here? Konoha has a bounty on your head, and you're in the village? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Itachi holds his hands up, showing them to be empty, and that he does not intend to harm anyone. He waits for Naruto to finish yelling before he speaks.

"I am here to make amends to you. If not for me, you would not have had to kill my brother, and you wouldn't have been put in prison and tortured with no end in sight for having to do so. I owe you a great deal, and will make it up to you. I am sure you have noticed that your vision has been greatly increased. When I removed you from the prison, your eyes were destroyed. I gave you mine, and took my brother's for myself. I have taken you and the young lady from the village. Her situation was not much improved over yours, plus she was constantly asking around about you. So, I figured it would be wisest to bring her along, in case she managed to find you here. Plus I thought you would do better in your training if there was someone you knew beside you."

He went silent after that speech, which was easily more than he has said in years combined. He found it unusual that he would say so much to someone without any coaxing or cajoling. He watches the young man to see what his reaction is. For someone outside of the clan to receive the Sharingan was something that had only happened once before. When Obito had given Kakashi his eye that had not been sanctioned by the clan; nothing had been done about it though, since it was a dying ninja's last wish. Now another person outside of the Uchiha has the Sharingan, and enough chakra to use it even beyond what the masters have.

Naruto sat there, thinking quietly after Itachi spoke. He didn't remember being in a prison, or his eyes being damaged. Though, why would Itachi lie about that, and still give his eyes away? It made no sense to the teen. Finally, he looks up at Itachi, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't remember being in a prison, or anything happening to my eyes. Though….I can't find any reason for you to lie to me about something like that and still give me your eyes. What are you going to do now?"

Itachi smiled, just a little bit. His expression was not one to be called comforting in any way.

"For now, you and I are going to heal. Tomorrow, we will begin training. You will train with me until you are at my level, or manage to surpass me. Though I doubt the latter will happen, and I wonder if you are even capable of the former."

With those words, he turns away and heads upstairs to his room. He sits down on the floor, resting his hands in his lap. He begins to meditate, organizing and focusing his thoughts along with the events that have happened. To say the last several days had been a maze of confusion for him would be a gross understatement at the minimum. Finding out his brother had died, then rescuing someone he didn't know, along with the heiress of the most powerful clan in the village. These were things that were way out of character for the Itachi that everyone knew and feared. However, for the real Itachi, they were not that far out of range for what he would do. Underneath the frigid exterior and indifferent façade he put up, there was a caring and honorable shinobi. This was not something that he would advertise, since it would give people the impression that he is weak, and would cause many that feared him to attack him in the hopes of being the one to take down the infamous missing-nin.

Downstairs, chaos was most assuredly in control. The reality of what is going on has begun to settle upon the two younger ninja, each one reacting differently. Hinata naturally fainted, and Naruto was busy looking into the mirror. He saw his eyes, and blinked several times. They weren't black, or red with three tomoe in them. Instead, they were red, with a five pointed star featuring wavy blades. On top of the star was a pinwheel ring, the curving lines connecting to the tip of each of the star's blades. As he stared, the pinwheel suddenly began to spin.

"Woah, talk about creepy. I wonder if I can do that weird genjutsu that Sasuke said was used on him. Toki-….something. Takiyama? No….uhm….TSUKUYOMI!"

With that shout, the pinwheel in his eyes spun faster and faster until Naruto suddenly passed out, having successfully trapped himself in the ultimate torture genjutsu.

A/N:

Greetings everyone.

I will admit the first two chapters are short. They will be getting longer though, especially as I get into training. For right now though, I figured shorter chapters at a closer interval would be better while I develop the characters and flesh out what was originally a wild idea into a proper storyline.

Please feel free to review, and/or message me with any suggestions you might have!


	3. Inside The Mind

A/N: Hey everyone. I am working on getting into longer chapters. Unfortunately, my desk broke. This means I am typing with my keyboard in my lap, which is awkward to say the least. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer, and go into more detail.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and if I did, I wouldn't be writing this!

/Vulpine Chaos/

Hinata heard Naruto as he was talking to himself. She turned around, standing up to see what he was doing. She heard something about genjutsu, and then he suddenly yelled. Sadly for the young woman, she was looking right into his eyes through the reflection in his mirror. The unfortunate result from that was her being dragged into the genjutsu along with Naruto.

If the Kyuubi had been sane, she would have called the best accidental prank ever.

The two pre-teens found themselves in a strange and depressing place. The sky above them was blood red, with black clouds drifting across it. There was no obvious sun, but they could both see around them clearly. The ground and the both of them were colored in black and white, but in negative colors. Naruto was the first to speak as he looked around, his eyes wide in shock and surprise.

"Woah, this is….kindof creepy honestly. Wait, my voice is all echoey. I sound all evil!"

He does an odd little dance, which Hinata watches silently. She was used to his antics, having watched them from a distance for several years now. She thought he was cute with how enthusiastic he was over even little things. Maybe one day, he would be able to look at her with that same energetic light. She began to look around the desolate place her eyes noting that everything was exactly the same. Everything except for them, and the woman sobbing off to the side. Wait, she was the only one in the room with Naruto when he had cast the genjutsu, so how was someone else in here? She stood there, watching her for a moment while Naruto continued to go on about how cool he was. Finally, she reached out and touched his shoulder, blushing brightly at the contact.

"A…ano…. There is someone else here Naruto-kun, a woman over there. She is crying, but I cannot hear what she is saying. Perhaps we should go and see who she is?"

Naruto stopped his rambling as soon as he felt the touch, and turned to look at Hinata first, and then to where she indicated. He blinked several times before nodding and moving in her direction. Before they had moved, the woman appeared to be quite a distance from them, but a single step brought them to her side. What they saw when they arrived there was shocking to Hinata, and extremely confusing to Naruto.

Curled up on the ground was a woman, whom was in such a tight ball that her age, or even height, couldn't be determined. She was naked, but that was not the most unnerving thing about her. On top of her head were two reddish orange fox ears with black tips, and from her back, right above her backside, nine matching tails extended. The tails were curled around her body, covering most of her form as she shivered and mumbled to herself.

"I am a good girl, I will do what I am told, I will not disobey, I promise to be good and do what I am told when I am told. I will not disobey, I didn't disobey. I couldn't stop him. I tried, oh please don't hurt me, please don't. I will do better, I promise I will. I will be good and do what I am told, exactly how I am told. Anything to not hurt, anything please."

Naruto reached out, putting a blanket over her, his face flushed a bit at her current state of undress. He pauses to wonder where the blanket came from, before he shrugs a little and tries to reassure the woman by patting her shoulder. The instant he makes contact with her though, she snarls and leaps into motion. With a fluid grace that has Hinata watching in jealous awe, she comes out from under the blanket and grabs Naruto by the throat before pinning him to the ground. She straddles his waist, baring her teeth in a vicious snarl. The poor boy blushes even more as his eyes traverse her body as if they had a mind of their own, taking in the fact that she was quite attractive and had curves in all of the right places. It takes him a moment to notice the hand wrapped around his throat, and the claws on the ends of the fingers that are pressing into his skin.

He holds his hands up, palms open to show he doesn't have any weapons, and means the woman no harm. He does his best to refrain from moving, realizing that she could easily crush or tear his throat out before he can so much as sneeze. The woman leans her face closer, snarling at him like a feral animal, until she sees his eyes. Her own widen, and she leaps off of him, screaming in fear before she curls back up into a ball, resuming her chant.

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other, trying to figure out what was going on with this woman. They kept their gazes locked, seemingly holding a silent conversation for several minutes. Finally, Naruto pulled out a kunai. The glint of sharpened metal caught the woman's eye, and she tried to curl up tighter, whimpering in abject terror at the sight of the blade. Naruto didn't even glance at her before he unzipped his jacket and cut his shirt open to reveal his chest. Once done with that, he sliced his finger open, and drew a single kanji on his chest. "Truth."

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, do swear that I hold no ill intent towards the woman in front of me. I further swear to help her and to protect her to the best of my abilities."

With those words, he reaches out and places a single drop of blood on her forehead, withdrawing his hand as quickly as possible to try and prevent any further attacks. Once he finished swearing, the kanji on his chest, along with the drop on the woman's forehead, flared bright white before vanishing suddenly. On the woman, no mark was left. However, on Naruto's chest there was a faint white mark in the shape of the kanji. This was the physical reminder of the blood oath he had just sworn.

The woman looked in shock at what he had done, both unable to find any words. Hinata just stood there gaping; while the woman just stared silently, her chant stopped as she tried to figure out what was going on.

/Vulpine Chaos/

Cliffhanger no jutsu! I'll leave it here, and get this chapter up while I work on getting a new desk.

Also, to the person that left a review talking about Naruko/Naruto, I know what I put up there. You'll just have to wait and see what happens to understand it!

Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated; they let me know that people want me to keep this story going. So please, leave a review, tell me what you thought. I can't improve without your input. Flames will be met with a giant wall of ice though.


	4. Transformations

A/N: Okay, here's another short chapter. I'm trying to increase the length, it's just a tad bit difficult when your keyboard is in your lap.

Hopefully I'll be getting my new desk in a couple of weeks.

Anyways, hope you all enjoy it.

Oh, and I still don't own Naruto.

* * *

_**Back in the real world…**_

Itachi paced the room, constantly glancing at the two lain out on the ground. It has been three hours since he heard the shout that made his blood run cold. Who would have thought that the kid could cast that technique without any training? He was most assuredly a most unpredictable person, to say the very least. The young man continued to pace as he waited for the healer to come back.

_**Inside Tsukiyomi**_

Naruto gaped at the lady, trying to put together everything she had told him. After days of coaxing and trying to get her to talk, she had finally trusted enough to tell him whom she was, or rather, what she was. He just couldn't believe that the constantly twitching and terminally afraid woman was THE Kyuubi. It was like telling him that ramen was the same thing as onigiri. He sat down hard, trying to put everything together. Finally, he looked up at her, his gaze troubled.

"If you're the Kyuubi, why aren't you trying to kill me? I mean, you're trapped inside of me. Normally you're a lot bigger, and mean."

Hinata gasped at hearing Naruto's words. The Kyuubi was bound inside of him? Was that why everyone seemed to hate him so much, because of the fox? She looked to the woman as well, her eyes wide. The kitsune looked at both of them before nodding, her voice coming out meekly as she spoke. This was far from normal, if anyone knew how kitsune normally are.

"I-I am the one called the Kyuubi, but that is only a title. Outside of…this place….I am not in control. I am bound by my master's will, to do as he commands. He commanded me to attack your village, and to fight anyone that approaches. This world, place, whatever it is, this is where I was broken. Here I was tortured and beaten until I submitted to my master's will."

As the woman continued to speak about being properly subservient to this "master," Naruto came to a decision. He had to help her. It wasn't right for anyone to hurt another, and from what she said, she had been hurt a lot. This went against everything he believed, and nothing would stop him from making it right. Finally, he stood up, looking at the woman with a gaze that held power behind it. She had seen this look once before, the night she had been sealed inside of Naruto. It scared her, because when that look was worn, ithings/i happened; Things that defied the very order of nature.

"Listen here. I don't care what you are; nobody deserves to be treated that way. I will protect you no matter what the cost, from everyone that wants to hurt you. I never go back on my word; that is my nindo!"

The woman gaped at him, her moth moving like a fish out of water. She tried to understand this. She was a kitsune, a being that most humans either feared or reviled. Plus, she was the Kyuubi; she had done massive damage to his village, killing hundreds if not thousands of people, including his parents. She looked at him for several moments, trying to see if he was lying. All she could see from him was honest concern, along with the desire to protect her. She suddenly sat down, crossing her legs and looked at the two children in front of her.

"I want to do something, for both of you. For you Naruto, I wish to give you the strength to protect those you wish to. For you, Hinata, I will give you the power to stand by his side for all of eternity. When I am done giving you this gift, you will both know everything I know. There will also be a scroll by you. It is the kitsune summoning contract. Naruto, you must sign it in blood and then draw a line across all of the names on it. This will destroy the contract permanently. You will be destroying one of the three great contracts, but you must do it to protect yourself. Once you are ready, both of you come and take my hand. Do you understand what I need you to do?"

Naruto listened as the woman spoke, stunned at her sudden change in attitude. She was strong, commanding, and in control. Finally, he nodded in response to her question, and looked to Hinata. Their gazes met for almost a full minute before they nodded to each other and reached out, each taking one hand of the kitsune. She squeezed the hands of the two children, smiling at them sadly.

"My time has passed; it is time for a new Kyuubi. This is a burden that very few could hope to bear, but I think you have it in you Naruto. Hinata, he will need you to be there for him, to shore up his resolve when it is weak, to hold him when he is hurt, and to stand beside him when times are difficult. I can see your feelings in how you look at him. Do not wait to tell him the truth of them before it is too late. This will hurt a lot. I cannot do anything about it, but if you two make it through the pain, your lives will be far different from what they were."

She smiles softly at the both of them before closing her eyes. Energy begins to swirl around her, coalescing into a dancing mirage of power that would have any Kage trembling in fear. This was not the mindless rage of a kitsune tortured into madness. This was the power of a kitsune that stood at the side of their goddess, flowing with a calm confidence that would have any ninja in awe. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, glowing with the power she was commanding.

**"Kitsune Art: Immortal Sacrifice!"**

With those words, the power that surrounded her formed a vortex around all three of them, weaving into a blinding tornado of energy. Naruto looked at Hinata and flashed his trademark foxy grin before gritting his teeth as the pain started. The pain kept building up, dropping them to their knees as they felt the very fabric of their existence being torn apart. The last thing either of them knew was the approaching blackness that wrapped around their minds, heralded by their screams.

_**The Real World**_

Itachi whirled around and stared at Naruto as he felt a massive buildup of chakra. He stepped back, shaking slightly as first Naruto, then Hinata, was surrounded by red chakra. This wasn't the chakra that he knew belonged to the Kyuubi. Instead of the color of darkened blood, this chakra was the shining red of a perfect ruby in the sunlight. He activated his Sharingan to try and see what was happening; that act only caused his jaw to drop as he witnessed thousands upon thousands of kanji appear out of the seal on Naruto's stomach. The symbols swirled over the boy before arranging themselves on both him and Hinata. More kanji appeared, arraying on the ground around the two into a summoning circle that was so complex that not even the Sharingan could make sense of it.

Itachi dropped to his knees as the Shinigami appeared above Naruto. From the mouth of the death god came a flow of chakra that dwarfed what was already around the two children. The new energy swirled into the already present chakra, bonding with it. As the energies combined, the color changed from the brilliant red into the green of healing chakra. The chakra around Naruto began to darken, focusing first upon his eyes before working over the rest of his body. In its wake it left behind new features. The whisker marks were more pronounced, and Naruto's entire body seemed to grow several inches, muscles stretching and filling out to gain a healthy tone. The most shocking thing however, was the disappearance of Naruto's ears. They were replaced by a pair of fox ears, the fur a deep russet orange and tipped in black. Naruto turned onto his side, curling into a ball. He whimpered before the sound of fabric tearing brought Itachi's attention to the final addition to Naruto's form. Nine tails that matched the ears on top of the boy's head grew from somewhere under his clothes.

Beside Naruto, Hinata was also undergoing changes. Her body also grew, though instead of the powerful musculature that Naruto gained, her form was leaner, the muscles hidden under the curves of a woman just beginning to blossom. To complete her transformation, a pair of ears grew on her head, followed by nine tails just like Naruto's. Unlike his new features, hers were a creamy sort of lavender with pristine white tips.

The energy finally coalesced over the two, forming a half dome that obscured them for several moments. The energy finally dispersed, shattering into oblivion to reveal the two changed children. Between them lay a giant scroll with the kanji for "Summoning Contract" along with a stylized fox that sported nine tails.

Itachi just sat there, shocked beyond being able to form a coherent thought. He had no clue what just happened, but he knew one thing for certain.

It was all Naruto's fault.

* * *

Another Note: Why didn't I go into more detail with what happened between the Kyuubi and Naruto and Hinata? Well, they're going to have to explain it to Itachi, plus they will have her memories to make sense of everything. I imagine the next chapter is going to contain a LOT of talking, and will (hopefully) break the 3k word mark.

Also, I need a bit of help. If someone could message me with the basic text modifier commands that work here, along with a good way to insert breaks into the text to separate the story from my notes, I would be greatly indebted to you!

Until next time!

Kayou


	5. Meetings and Genderbending

Itachi watched the two apparent kitsune in front of him for a while longer. The patterns the energy was taking had his mind reeling. He couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. It unnerved him, but that was something he would never admit to, it was a sign of weakness. As he continued his vigil, a new array of seals appeared around Naruto, the energy focusing more on him than on Hinata. The only response it gained from the stoic Sharingan wielder was a raised eyebrow. Itachi remained still, trying to figure out what was going on now. This set of changes was soon as obvious as the fox features that both of the younger ones had gained. Naruto's hair began to grow rapidly, turning from the spiky mess that it was into a flowing river of sun gold with streaks of crimson flowing through it.

That change was neither the most dramatic, nor the last for Naruto though. His body began to grow more slender, losing the powerful musculature in favor of a more….feminine appearance. This continued throughout his entire body, shaping it under his clothes into a form that would have most males in awe. The nails on his fingers and toes changed as well, shaping into a cross between claws and fingernails. They fit in with the changes though, adding to the feminine beauty of Naruto's new body.

The energy around Naruto and Hinata coalesced one final time, forming two weapons beside them. Within Naruto's grasp was a double bladed shikomizue, though for most it would appear to be a section of a wooden staff, unassuming in appearance. For Hinata, the weapon formed was quite different. Hers was a fighting spear, the haft made of an odd black metal that seemed to soak up the light around it. On one end, it was capped with a foot and a half long blade; Double edged and shining bright silver with symbols along it. Her weapon was obviously that, a fearsome tool of death.

Itachi finally moved from his spot. Things were getting too odd for him to do nothing at all aside from watch. He turned away from the two kitsune, and walked through the main room of the cottage, opening the door long enough to slip through it and out into the forest. He drew the door closed behind him before looking around. He sighed softly as he saw what was in front of him. Foxes of all sizes and colors were there, seated as if they were waiting patiently for someone to make themselves known. As he surveyed the gathering, which was constantly getting larger and larger, Itachi wondered exactly what did he do to deserve this? He decided once more to place the blame where it belonged.

This is all Naruto's fault.

* * *

_Pause Flashback_

Tsunade held up her hand to pause the narration, and pointed at Naruto, her gaze leveled on him.

"You look like a boy right now, but you turned into a female. Care to explain?"

Naruto sighed softly, knowing this was going to give her no end of entertainment. He spoke, his voice carefully neutral.

"Almost all kitsune are female. I was made into one by a female, so of course I would have a female form. I can change between them at will, with no detrimental effects. Though, my transformation is exactly that. I am one hundred percent female, and can even have kits. Now, as I was saying, outside of the cabin, there was a gathering of foxes, both mortal and kitsune. They numbered in the hundreds, and the numbers were only increasing….."

_Resume Flashback_

* * *

Naruto was the first to wake, her hand wrapping around the shikomizue instinctively as her eyes fluttered open. She sat up slowly, looking around for a moment. Her ears twitched as she picked up the slightest sound around her, most of them coming from the cabin randomly settling, as a building constructed simply is wont to do. Finally, she looked down, first at the weapon in her hand. She held it up, feeling the odd weight to it, and began to examine it in greater detail. Fortunately, she couldn't find a way to open the shikomizue, so she went on to looking at her hand; her distinctively FEMININE hand. She blinked several times before unzipping her jacket, revealing the black tank top. Unlike before, where she would see a decently muscular chest, there were two large bulges in it. She poked at one repeatedly, feeling it squish some.

Outside, Itachi and all of the gathered foxes could clearly hear a voice screaming.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

Itachi turned his head towards the door, just in time to see it explode into splinters. In the frame stood a very pissed off and very female Naruto. Itachi's jaw dropped at the sight, more than a little shocked at the change in gender. Naruto pointed at him, using the weapon that had appeared beside her, and growled.

"You! You did this to me, somehow. You couldn't have left me alone! You implanted some strange eyes in my head, and then you make me a woman? I'll kill you!"

With those words, Naruto charged. She spun the weapon in her hand, whipping it around towards Itachi's head, only to stop at the last moment, flipping it vertically to slam the end into his stomach. Itachi brought one hand up as the weapon went for his head, only to be caught off-guard by the sudden change in attack. He jumped back to reduce the effect of the hit, one eyebrow rising as he felt the strength in even a grazing strike. He would have to be wary of Naruto, even though she appeared to be a delicate female, she could hit harder than most opponents that he had fought.

Naruto snarled as Itachi jumped back, and darted forward, jumping into a sideways spin, her right whipping into a snap kick aimed for Itachi's head as she shifted her grip on the shikomizue to grasp it by one end, slamming it forward into Itachi's knee. Itachi managed to dodge the kick aimed for his head, but missed the strike aimed to his knee. He hissed in pain, feeling the joint dislocate temporarily from the power behind the strike. Before he could move out of the way, Naruto swung her legs down, and back to the direction they started in, aiming for a low sweep kick. Itachi turned his body, anchoring his stance to take the kick full on and stop it. Unfortunately for Itachi, Naruto slammed the shikomizue into his stomach again, hitting the same spot.

The second strike forced Itachi to spit up a small amount of blood, and grow concerned for his welfare. This was not the Naruto he was expecting, whom was lacking in close combat skills, and clumsy with taijutsu. Attacking him was a fighter out for blood, wielding skills that were on par with his own, and possibly surpassing him at this point. He performed a quick kawarimi to get away long enough to activate his bloodline. Naruto looked at the log where Itachi had been before turning her head to look for her victim.

It was then that she noticed the horde of foxes in the woods. As soon as they gained her attention, all of them bowed low, showing their respect to the new Kyuubi. One of the ones closest to Naruto changed form, turning into a young woman with silver fox ears and eight matching tails that swayed behind her slowly. She bowed again before straightening, adjusting her short yukata for a moment before speaking.

"Greetings mistress. We felt the passing of the former Kyuubi, and your ascension to nine tails. Though, your scent is unfamiliar, as is your energy. All of the eight tails in the Elemental countries are known, but you are not listed. Where are you from, so that we may know?"

Naruto stared at her, her eyes wide at seeing the transformation. This was something she had never seen before, and the woman was rather attractive. It took her mind a minute to realize what the woman had said, and she turns her head, almost falling over at seeing the tails behind herself. She sputtered for several moments before turning back to the eight-tailed kitsune.

"I am not a kitsune. I'm a BOY! Naruto, from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. What are you talking about? Why am I female and what's with these tails? The Kyuubi is sealed inside of me. Or….she was at least. She did something, some weird jutsu that hurt like hell. The last thing I remember is Hinata and I screaming in pain, and then waking up like this. I'm human, so why do I have these tails?"

The other kitsune stared in shock, her mouth agape at his words. He was a human, and the old Kyuubi made him into her replacement? In all the history of the kitsune, something like that had never been done. Humans that had earned it had been made into kitsune, but they were always one or two tails to start, never a replacement for the ruler of all kitsune. It was akin to making a peasant from an enemy nation the ruler of your own homeland, you just didn't do it.

She was pulled from her thoughts at a noise coming from the cabin, and turned her attention there. Once more her mouth hung agape when she saw Hinata, whom stood there with nine tails as well. She looked at the other woman, back to Naruto, and then once more at Hinata, stuttering in shock. There was never more than one Kyuubi, it was impossible for that to be; but here in front of her were two that both had the nine tails, and the overwhelming sense of power that came from attaining the ninth tail. This was alarming to say the very least, and meant a shift in power. If they mated, they would have offspring that were almost guaranteed to have nine tails as well. This was going to have some major fallout for all of the kitsune, and would have many quite upset.

Hinata looked around, her eyes catching several things at once; Naruto being female, with the ears and tails of a kitsune, Itachi standing off to the side holding his stomach, and the woman in front of Naruto with eight tails. She clutched tighter to the spear in her hand as she noticed all of the other foxes, which seemed to fill every available space as far as she could see. With soft footsteps, she moved behind Naruto, her posture showing her nervousness.

"Uhm….N-Naruto-kun…what is going on? Why is Itachi-san hurt, and why are all of these foxes here, and…..why are you a woman?"

Naruto turned to look at Hinata, and slumped in defeat. All of this was too much for her to handle. She sat down on the ground heavily, her gaze mostly vacant as she looked to Hinata, almost helplessly.

"I don't know what's going on, or why. All of these foxes call me Kyuubi….and I can't feel the fox's chakra inside of me anymore. What did she do to us?"

Hinata kneeled down beside Naruto, placing a hand on her shoulder lightly, giving it a comforting squeeze. Apparently the perpetually shy woman has gained a measure of confidence from everything. She smiled as reassuringly as possible.

"I think everything will be okay, just be patient. The Kyuubi gave us her memories; they're just hard to sort through. Let's go lay down, and get some sleep. We can work on this after we have had some rest, okay?"

With those words, she got up and went into the cabin to find a bed and sleep, followed shortly after by Naruto.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I'm trying to get better about writing bigger chapters…I just get distracted easily. Bear with me, okay?

Also, my apologies for the long wait, just had a lot to deal with the past couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to updating more frequently.


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